'Zombieland: Double Tap' has a wild and violent post-credits scene

Hey millennials, wanna feel old? It’s been ten years since 2009’s Zombieland upended the B-movie zombie genre with a cast destined for Academy Award accolades. Now, the gang is back in Zombieland: Double Tap. And in an era of sequels, spin-offs, and bonus scenes tucked away in the credits, Ruben Fleischer’s sequel to his cult classic zombie comedy lives up to 2019’s standards — and then some.

In Zombieland: Double Tap, heroes Columbus (Jessie Eisenberg), Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Wichita (Emma Stone), and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) take shelter in the abandoned White House to ride out the rest of the apocalypse. Things go astray when Little Rock is whisked off to a hippie commune, leaving her vulnerable to a newer, deadlier breed of zombies that the group calls “T-800s.” (Because of The Terminator, you see.)

And yes, there’s a post-credits scene. Well, the mid-credits is where all the action is at. The actual, literal post-credits is a fun bonus, likely an unused take from the making of the very intricate mid-credits.

Spoilers for Zombieland: Double Tap ahead.

At the end of Zombieland: Double Tap, Columbus gives the audience some closure on Bill Murray, who played himself in the cameo of the decade in 2009’s Zombieland. His “character” was also killed by Columbus, and his death has become something of a legend in the world these movies take place.

When the main plot is wrapped up, a narrating Columbus breaks the fourth wall (as he does throughout the film) to give the audience another glimpse of “Day Zero” — the day the apocalypse began. That’s when the film cuts to 2009, with an exhausted Murray at a press junket for Garfield 3.

I have truly never felt more seen than in the credits of Zombieland: Double Tap. At a hotel in L.A., Murray puts up with boring, benign, and embarrassing questions from journalists and online personalities. Cameos include MTV News’ Josh Horowitz, YouTuber Grace Randolph, and NBC’s Al Roker, who eggs Murray to cough up a furball. (Yes really.)

But when Al vomits bile, things go wrong. Somehow, Al and everyone else at the junket have succumbed to the virus, which forces Bill Murray to fight for his life in an outrageous killing spree. For being 69 (nice), Murray can still kick ass.

Afterward, we can presume that Bill Murray safely returned home, where he hid until Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita, and Little Rock came knocking as seen in the events of the first Zombieland.

Meanwhile, the actual post-credits scene is less intense. It’s another shot of Murray trying to cough up furballs at the behest of reporters. The look on Murray’s face suggests it’s just an “unused” take the filmmakers included for giggles. (Remember that time in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s when mainstream movies included bloopers in the credits? That was fun.)

There are no obvious hints towards a third movie in either the mid or post-credits of Zombieland: Double Tap. A painted “3” on the license plate of the Cadillac our heroes drive in towards the sunset is the biggest signal that a third Zombieland could be in the cards, but maybe not for another ten years.

Zombieland: Double Tap will be released in theaters on October 18.